Fish-hook.



Patented Dem 25, |900. J. B. HAL-L. Y

FISH HOOK.

Application lcd Aug. 27, 1900.)

,\ No Model.)

me/nmz Witwe/aow l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

JAMES BASCOM HALL, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

FISH-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part 0f Letters Patent N o. 664,476, datedDecember 25, 1900. Application led August 2l?, 1900. Serial No. 28,218.(No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B AscoM HALL,A a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fish-Hooks; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in' the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to fish-hooks, and more particularly to that classof hooks used in trolling; and it has for one of its objects to providesuch a hook with a substantially nonrotatable lure or bait and guardingit with one or more sets or series of hooks so arranged as to beautomatically rotatable and substantially invisible in the clearestwater.

Another object of the invention is to flexibly connect the lure and thehooks, so that the parts may freely move upon each other, and thusprevent the lure from interfering with the free action of the hooks inengaging with the fish.

With these objects in View my invention consists in the improvedconstruction and novel arrangement of parts of a trolling-hook,

as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. In the accompanyingdrawings, in which the same reference-numerals indicate correspondingparts in each of the views in which they occur, Figure l is a sideelevation of a trolling-hook made in accordance with my invention. Fig.2 is alongitudinal sectional View of the same. Fig. 3 is an endelevation of one of the sets of hooks, and Fig. 4 is a transversesectional view of the same.`

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates the set ofhooks, which is preferably formed from three hooks 2, the stems of whichare secured in any suitable manner upon the sides of a tube or sleeve 3,as by means of a wrapping of Wire 4 or other suitable material. Thepoints of the hooks are arranged at a slight inclination or spiral tothe axis of the tube, so that as the hook is drawn through the water itwill be automatically rotated upon its aXis-that is, without the usefofspinners or other separate appliances.

The hook is mounted upon a suitable support or shaft 5, Awhich isconnected with the line by the ordinary snell or `attaching-wire 6 andis normally stationary or non-rotatable. mounted upon the snell in theusual manner. Secured to the` rear end of the shaft, as by means of alink 8, is a` lure 9 of any suitable character, a minnow being shown inthe drawings. This construction places the head of the niinnow directlyto the rearfof the hooks, but in such 4a position as not to interferewith the free and rapid rotation of the hooks.

If desired, an additional set of hooks l0 may be iiexibly secured to therear of the lure,and they may have the hooks or barbed portions bent atan angle to the axis of the sleeve 11, upon which they are secured, andthereby cause the rotation of said sleeve and hooks upon the shaft 12,on which they are mounted. Beads 13 or other antifriction devices may beplaced at either or both ends of the sleeves' carrying the hooks toprevent Wearing or chang of the parts and alsofto yreduce the frictionof the rotating sleeve to a minimum.

In using my improved hook it is fastened to the line in the usual mannerand cast into the water and drawn .forward in the manner common with theuse of such hooks. As it passes through the water the twist or lateralbend of the points of the hooks to the right or left will cause thehooks to be rapidly rotated in one direction or the other. In thismanner the hook operates automatically and If desired, a spoon 7 may berotatably for the head of the minnow, I prefer to make the hooks of theset in front of the bait larger than the others,although the largerhooks may be placed to the rear.

In using devices in which artificial means are employed for covering orhiding the hooks it is well known that the fish frequently de- IOO tectstheldeception before st rikin g for the bait, and thereby renders thehook a failure. ,Further than' this, it frequently happens that the hookengages with the fish in' such an inse-V cure manner that the ishfrequently escapes after having been struck by the hook.

With my improved hook when the fish` makes a strike 4for the bait thehooks'arero- A tating so rapidly as to be virtually invisible to theish,'and when it reaches the bait'from any possible direction the pointof one of theV hooks strikes it and catches it so securelyas v toprevent its escape, the flexible connection between the bait and thehooks permitting of Vthe bait being ,struck and knocked to one sidewithout changing the course of the hooks or preventing their engagingwith the fish.

Although I have shown my hook as provided-with the ordinary spoon orlure and alsofwithan additional set of hooks to therear,litls-e'vid'entthat it'could be used Without-either of them andalso that additional lures or sel/sof hooks could be used withoutdeparting fromV the spirit of my invention,v :andfI reserve the right tomake all such changesiand-alterations in the construction,

and arrangement of parts of'a hook aswill come'within the scope of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, iS.-v

1. In a fishhook, auorrnally non-rotatable support, a lure connectedtherewith, and a rotatable set of hooks mounted on thev supportadjacentlto the lure and adapted to be 'automatically rotated as thehook is drawn shaft, a sleeve on the shaft, a set of'hools on thesleeve, t-he points of which are bentat an inclination orspiral' totheaxis ot' the shaft,

whereby the set of hooks will be automatically rotated upon the shaftwhen drawn through the Water, a lure iiexibly rsecured to the rear vof`the hooks, and aset of hooks to the .rear `of, the lure,

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnessesv-JAMES BASCOM HALL.

`-VVit'nesslesz` y ROY B. ROBINETTE, W. JrGfRADY.y

